A meeting in Las Noches (Required for those not in KT)

Hidden deep within the vast sands of Heuco Mundo, a legendary fortress could be seen in the distance. Within the walls resided the Army of Arrancar, who's will it was to serve their leader, death being expected around every corner. Complete with medical facilities and detention wings, this was indeed the home that Arrancar sought after. The massive fortress easily drawfed almost every other building in civilization, the huge dome shaped roof being seen from miles around. Such a spectacular sight speculated rumors that when beings ran towards it at full speed, it would take three days for them to actually get to the from door, and almost boasted an illusion that you could never quite get to it.

Within the Dome, it almost appeared that a beautiful daylight filled the whole area. It was somewhat pleasant, definately more so than the inhabitant in its walls. This bright blue sky, however, was nothing more than an illusion. It was simply a room, with a ceiling breakable, and as such, the top Four Espada were forbidden to release their Resureccion's within the dome. The force of them releasing being said to be capable of destroying the grand Fortress where it stand. However, even though many believe the law was put in place to make the top four Espada seem more powerful than they were, it was indeed neccessary, and not overexagerated at all.

Deeper within the dome was the marble hallways that attached each of the six towers together. The color scheme could only be described as bland, and even the most content of people would eventually grow weary of the marble decor. However, there was something incredibly unique about these halls. They could be rearranged as the Espada see fit, being capable of putting intruders into an infinite loop of hallways and corridoors, which could also explain the same old look everywhere a person turned. Such an incredible place, fit only for kings.

In the center of the Fortress, their was a room. A meeting room for the strongest of the Arrancar, The Espada. The Ten Blades. Within the room was a long, rectangular table, nine seats placed around the outside, a throne in place at the tip of the table for the Primera himself. The throne was grand, an incredible piece of art. The rest of the chair, while grand, were nothing on that one seat. The other nine were labled with the number of each Espada, from highest to lowest. One would assume that the further they went down the table, the weaker the Arrancar who sat there would become, and they were essentially right, by number alone.

However, next door to the Espada's meeting area lied a huge, grand meeting hall. It was in this room that a tall, silver haired man stood. Wearing the Espada uniform with pride, it was clear that he had altered it to make room for some personal comfort adjustments. The top half of the uniform was sleeveless, aswell as being unbottoned. This revealed his incredibly toned body, a body that would make most women drool. The bottom half of the uniform was loose, seemingly as to not restrict movement at all. Comfort and practicality, two things that this member of the Espada enjoyed very, very much.

Running a hand through his long, messy, silver hair, he brushed against the almost halo-like mask fragment that decorated the crown of his head. His hair then dropped forwards, a black shadow covering his demonic looking red eye's from sight of the outside world. Attached to his back was but a sword, a weapon, but more importantly, his Resurreccion. His real form. Letting out a light sigh, he folded his arms across his chest, as if waiting for something to happen.

What was he waiting for, you ask? Well, during this time, three members of the Espada were out in Karakura town, battling for control it would seem. Alejandro, Rykira and Jubei being the members. Three members who's survival was required for the Espada's strength to stay strong. They would return shortly, Methias realized this, however, he would have to get all the Espada and remaining Arrancar prepared. In the worst case scenario, they would have to embark to Karakura themselves and finish off what the original three had started. Thus, was the will of the Espada.

His lips forming an almost demonic smile, he tapped his foot on the ground lightly, awaiting everyone's arrival.

Boots sounded upon the floor of the halls of Las Noches. The sound pleased the maker of the sounds. It reminded him of some sort of suspense movie or maybe a rhythmic beat. Regardless he walked casually and cautiously. His casual walk was neither insulting nor was it cocky. It just was. Xane was his name. The Septima Espada, and just because he was seventh did not mean he was a push over. Xane had shown many foes the error of assuming he was.

His hair was pulled back into it's usual pony tail. The light violet strands that faded into orange were cascading down his back to his waist and a bit beyond. He wore his Espada uniform that he personally modified to be far more comfortable to him. His stomach, and hole, were exposed to the world. His pants flared out a bit more but not by much, and he wore gloves over his hands as well. His shirt was tight against his skin, and part of it extended out over his hands. His sword was also attacked to his left hip. His sword's location always seemed to change, but for today he kept it there.

As he walked down these long and empty halls his amber eyes glittered with amusement. It was clear he did not see the same world that other's saw. It was more than obvious that what he saw most likely wasn't something other's wanted to be apart of either. Indeed this was the case as Xane has been through many things, seen many things as well. Even though most of his history is a blank it doesn't matter to him. He could care less at this point in time. He was an Espada now. He'd be damned if such things as memories would distract him from his duties.

Even as he walked his Arrancar were speaking to his mind. They told him of what sectors of Hueco Mundo they were in, what was okay and what was not okay. He too could read the various reiatsu signatures around as well, but inside these walls he did not bother. Only an idiot would dare to try and storm this place. Even if three of their numbers were gone, two of which were rather high up and one of which Xane was higher than, those who were currently present would be more than enough.

His boots continued to play their pleasing symphony to Xane as he walked more and more. At this leisurely pace one would assume he had nothing to do, but they'd be wrong. If he truly had nothing to do he would be out practicing his cero and bala on innocent hollow in the sands or in their precious forest. How could he do this? Simple. Xane believed no one should be exempt from coming close to death. Xane has and most of the Espada have at one point or another. Lesser hollow were the same. To him lesser hollow were cannon fodder, as well as some of the arrancar but none of the Espada, who existed only to die. This is not to say that Xane will kill every single hollow that he sees, no no no. He will merely kill them if they think themselves brave, or stupid, enough to attack him. It happens more often than one would think.

His fingers danced lightly on his waist as he chuckled to himself. A habit he had developed over time. Even though he preferred to fight with a reason, though any reason for him would do unlike the old Espada Nel, he was still an Espada and did very much enjoy fighting and killing. Whenever he chuckled when nothing funny was said it was often a sign he had thought of something or "seen" something humorous to him. Nine out of ten times it was something less than pleasing for most. Some dubbed him insane, others called him unique. He called himself normal. He viewed the world for what he thought it truly was. Hellish, pitiful, and violent. He did not believe world peace would ever come about so he always sought to push that thought as far out as possible.

He navigated the hallways with ease despite the same look everywhere one looked. He eventually stopped in his tracks as one of his units reported a strange lack of reiatsu in Las Noches. Xane shook his head and continued to walk. He did not even justify that with response. It was not any of his units business to know the doings of the Espada, though some would disagree and say that because of his unit's particular job it was very important for them to know. Xane's line of thinking was that if they needed to know something they would know. If there was a problem they would have detected the unknown reiatsu signature, but since they didn't obviously there was no problem. The reports stopped coming in about the dome, and Xane entered the first room which would take him to the meeting room.

Even before he saw the doors to the first room he could sense that one other Espada was there. He sensed him a while back, and he didn't really mind. Why should he? They were both Espada, both on the same team, both comrades, so what would Xane have to fear? He had a slight idea that this supposed meeting would be about something involving Karakura Town, but he didn't ask about it ahead of time. He didn't see a need to. Xane would find out soon enough and if it was serious he would have found out sooner. So his find deemed it useless to ask about such a thing. He stopped as he entered the first room though. His golden eyes settled on his chair. He shook his head and walked into the bigger room his face unreadable, and his eyes still glittering with that dark amusement.

His golden eyes fell upon the other Espada known as Methias. He offered him no words though, but he did bow his head to him. He then looked at his smile. Something pleased him on some level, but Xane couldn't care less as to what it was. He would rather stand than sit so that's what he did. He moved to stand against a wall keeping Methias and the door in his vision.

Meeeeeettthiiiiaaaaas-niiiii-saaaan!!!!" a voice cried out with a strained echo following behind it, the intensity of the volume shattering whatever peace of noise there had been. Quite honestly, it was like a trainwreck after an hour of elevator music.

And then, as if all planned and cued to do so, the little Espada ... the most youthful of them, in terms of both appearance and manner, came bolting in the room at top speed. His feet left trails of smoke as he rapidly dashed in, slamming his way through the doors(and nearly breaking one of them right off the hidden hinges). His gleaming, yet rather light colored face had a massive smile and an eyes that held the look of utter joy. If there was ever a face to serve as an antithesis to what the arrancar stood for and lived for, then Merrow's face would most likely be that.

His eyes scanned across the room and immediately spied Xane, yet another 'brother' in the somewhat dysfunctional family of the Espada(in Merrow's mind). And like an evil kitty that never lost it's habits to claw furniture(despite being berated) being given several pounds of catnip or any other hallucinogenic-esque substance to such a species, he leapt forward, enhancing his 'leap of fate' with a sonido.

The 'Merrow Cannonball' was a super high-speed tackle exceeding a hundred and twenty miles per hour. No Espada, NONE, had ever gone through WITHOUT being tackled by Merrow. It was almost like a tradition in meetings past. Come, greet, be slammed into a wall by a 100 pounds of flesh and bone and joy. And there was no way he was going to NOT tackle Xane, the Septima. Actually, in Merrow's childish mentality(the seemingly crack-induced state he was in that was his glee to meet with his fellow Espada), he had never tackled Xane ... which was an obvious no-no. He had glomped Methias once, if he remembered correctly ... but nowadays, after finding Szayel's lab ... he couldn't recall what he had done and what he hadn't done.

But those thoughts didn't stray him from his trajectory course, as he was already flying towards Xane ... and even quicker than any involuntary reflex a sentient being could muster, he was less than a centimeter from collision.

Now one thing spread into his mind, just before impact(be it Xane, a hand from Xane, a Cero, a Bala, a wall, the hilt of a Zanpakuto or anything else for that matter), he noted on how he always worked himself into a frenzy and always blasted the Espada members with his tackle, but due to his restraints on his reiatsu, he never did any serious damage ... the only question he had for himself was ... why did that happen? But just as quickly as that fleeting though passed, it faded, and he slammed into something.

Xane was deep in thought but he did not miss the approach of another Espada. He braced himself as he saw who it was.

The world began to shake. Methias was looking around in a very confused way. Xane did not move nor did he blink. Las Noches began to crack, it began to shake with the world. The ceiling began falling, and the walls were bursting. Methias released but was crushed by an abnormally large rock. "Pitiful..." Xane said. His voice was soft, distant, dark. Methias struggled to get out. His arm shook as he tried to pull himself out. His eyes a desperate eyes flicked to Xane. His mouth was unable to form words. Blood fell from his body. "H-help...help me..." He struggled to get the words out. Xane did not move though.

Another wall cracked and fell open. Merrow stopped in his tracks. Shinigami entered the building now. Xane did not move, and they did not acknowledge him. Rather they went for Merrow. Two of them released their bankai and let loose some strange projectiles at him, but Merrow dodged them. In dodging though she ran right into the extended blade of another Shinigami. He let out a final scream as he died. The shinigami lifted his blade cutting him open. Blood shot out everywhere. The ceiling broke free and rubble fell down crushing his body. Xane looked at the Shinigami, and shook his head. They walked to him but were stopped as the ground fell out from under their feet. Fire shot up consuming them.

Xane began to laugh. Darkly, loudly, and happily. He laughed a laugh that would make even the most horrid and crazed of men cringe. His laugh was evil and malevolent. It was horrible and deadly. He looked at the bodies of his comrades. He looked at them and laughed. Laughed at their dead state. Laughed at the blood. He walked to Merrow's body and pushed him over with his foot to look at the large cut that killed him. His laugh had reduced to a chuckle and it raised again to a laugh as he stepped inside his body feeling blood seep into his boot. This feeling of warmth only made him laugh more.

He walked over to Methias who still struggled. He looked up at Xane with pleading eyes. His hands reached out for Xane's boot. The floors cracked more and the final wall collapsed causing the ceiling to fall completely. A rock crushed his hand and Methias let out a soundless scream. Xane's laugh reached it's high point. His reiatsu flared high as his jaw hung low with laughter. Tears streamed from his face as he laughed harder and harder. He placed his other foot in the large pool of blood produced by Methias and relished in it's warmth. His laughter continued even as the floor gave out completely taking him down into the depths of the fiery pits below.

Xane was chuckling softly. His eyes glittering with untold amusement. He was hit by the flying Merrow but gave no sounds of pain. He enjoyed the hit. He looked down at Merrow upon him and shook his head. Even though he enjoyed it and his eyes still glittered with amusement, there was still that unspoken threat to get off of him.

A fourth figure had slipped silently through the door just in time to see the petite, fun-sized Espada fly threw the air and collide into a fellow member of the Elite group of Arrancar. Judging by the lack of immediate retaliation, it all seemed in good fun. This was an oddity amongst the daily Arrancar lifestyle, to be sure. Whatever floats their boats, I guess. He thought and gave the slightest of shrugs. The soft sound of Xane's chuckling was all that could be heard for a few moments within the grand hall, and the air of it wasn't pleasant. It sounded almost... Manic. Or maybe that was just his imagination running amok. Such a thing was commonplace.

He regarded the piled pair of Arrancar with an arched eyebrow and a mild curiosity before his glance shifted to the third who stood solitary. The man's presence seemed to command authority. Or perhaps it was something entirely different. Who knew? One could only make blind guesses and cross their fingers to at least hit near the mark when concerning his Race. With a barely audible sigh and yet another slight shrug, Skaeith shook his head, running a hand through the silvery strands of hair that hung before his eyes, brushing them aside.

Comfort seemed to be the desired commodity of the Espada these days, as he was yet another to make alterations to the normal attire. Rather than the large, flowing white hakama most wore he bore loose-fitting cargo pants. An unzipped white hoody composing half the upper, a black undershirt making up for the rest. All about his hands, arms, and feet a black, soft cloth was wrapped securely. Softening further his faint footfalls as he slid to the left of the doorway and leaned against the wall, cast in the shadows of the room just out of range to me smashed in the scenario of another spastic Arrancar barging through the door.

His azure eyes kept all three within his field of vision. For now, he would wait.

Watching as everyone made their way into the room, the arch-scream of the young-bodied Espada sent a shiver down his spine. Fear? No, just the fact that it was an incredible annoyance. Espada being mocked by such a personality, they were manifestations of pain and death, not children, warriors. Although it was common knowledge that behind the childish exterior and personality, a truly terrifying warrior could emerge. The gods could be thanked for that, although it could be classified as strange, such power being contained in a young beings body.

His eye's scanning across the room, he achknowledged Skaeith's entrance. Sly and subtle, much like he was. This Espada knew the value of what they were, and as such, it was Methias who showed a slight respect for him, although not enough in most people's eye's. A being such as himself, he found it hard to respect those ranked beneath him, which currently consisted of everyone in the room. Was it the fact they were considered useless? Far from it. They just weren't significant for Methias to remotely care for them. Small fish in a big pond, you could say.

Taking a step forwards, he walked towards the center of the room, an almost angelic aura, no, the purest of energy pouring off of him. A single hand rose into the air, as if in an attempt to get the attention of everyone in the room. Turning to face them all, he lowered his hand slowly, before grasping hold of his Resurreccion that was holstered at his back. Holding it in his right hand, he lowered it slowly to the ground, the crystal-looking blue blade clashing against the ground with a thud, the noise filling the room instantly.

"Depending on how Alejandro and the others do, we may well have to head up to the town of Karakura. Be ready, and await their return. That is all." Methias spoke, his voice capable of piercing even the most battle-hardened souls. Truth be told, he was hoping that someone had failed and he would get to taste blood for the first time in, oh so long. However, Alejandro failing was like getting a Royal Flush in poker. It just didn't happen, and if it did, it was so rare there was no point waiting for it.

After the arrival of the current Espada came the arrival of a Numero, Numero 87 to be exact. It was none other then Vlad III Dracula a.k.a the Impaler, former Voivode of Wallachia and now a simple foot soldier of the Espada. The man walked in silently, not making eye contact with any of the higher ups, in his hand he carried his Rapier, his Resurrecion, his full power sealed with in the form of a simple weapon. It was a long rapier with silver wire forming an elaborate design along the cross-gaurd, it had a solid white blade made specially for impaling rather then slashing. Old habits die hard.

Vlad moved to the side of the room silently as he came. He was not an Espada so he did not have a place to sit but he had promised himself long ago that he would one day sit along with them as one of the Ten Blades. Although that day had not yet come, he had a feeling it would be coming very soon but until then he would have to serve them and follow their orders as he had done for several decades now.

Although the faces changed, the power stayed the same. "Espada come and Espada go...but I still remain here serving them..." thought the Dragon's Son, the same thought occured to him everytime he was in that room with the Espada.

The look on his pale white face was the same as always, unrevealing. The look in his menacing eyes was the same, merciless. His appearance was the same as ever, white cloak with red lining with a large collar covering his angulated teeth, white hair slicked back,a simple glass monocle over his right eye, a golden skull with horns and a red rudy in its forehead was all that remained of his mask, his black matador sash the same with the rudy the circumfrence of a baseball and the rest of his apparel was the basic Arrancar clothing.

He stood in attention awaiting the meeting to commence.

A garganta opened up in Las Noches, into the room where the Espada usually meet. The Primera Espada, Alejandro, appeared to be walking through the said garganta with his hands inside of their respective pockets. He made a loud sigh as he walked towards the table and stopped half way.

"Comrades..I have returned."

Alejandro said, keeping the garganta open for ShiShi Jubei to come through before closing it.

"It's nice to see you all are getting along well. At least my place isn't trashed.."

Walking through the garganta Alejandro had opened, Shishi walked out, into the room where the Espada normally had their meetings. The Decima Espada looked around the room; violent eyes that held an unbelievable rage, glanced at every other Espada in the room. His hands were lazily rested at either side, yet seemingly edgy and ready to move. Moving further into the room, he kept walking until he stood next to Alejandro. The entire upper half of his uniform was ruined, non-existent, because of releasing his true form.

“…”

He said nothing, just stood there like a statue, fuming out an untouchable aura. As if anyone who came so much as three feet of him would have, their body minced and diced into an uncountable amount of pieces.

A presence opened up behind the tall exterior of Methias, as he turned round to see a gaping black hole just a few yards away from him. Examining the newly formed Garganta, he nodded in achknowledgement as the Decima and Primera Espada exited from the darkness, into the room where they stood. As the entered the room, Methias quickly noticed Shishigami Jubei had used his resurreccion, and was currently in his released state. Considering the status of many in this room, simply being in such a state could be considered reckless. Most in the room would be floored by the force, if not killed.

However, Methias himself was capable of withstanding any pressure this being had pushed out, his rank amongst the Espada not being simple for show. Yet, even though this was the case, even he chose not to get too close to him, the sheer power he held in his hands was more than any other Arrancar known. And he knew how to use it. Swinging his Zanpaktou to the side, a whistling sound echoed through the room, before he placed it back on his back. By the way he had the blade, it would appear that it was weightless, yet anyone else in the room holding it would be bought to the ground with an almighty thud. This blade was Methias', and his alone.

Moving towards the only two Espada above him in strength, Methias stopped only a few yards infront of them, bowing his head to show his respect. "I'll assume by the lack of one, Rykira Kano, that we have lost a member today? A shame, although no real loss." Methias muttered, his true sinister heart being shown as he shrugged off the death of an ally. He couldn't care less. Anyone who died was weak, and didn't deserve to live the life granted to them by those around them. Pityful beings indeed.

"How did the plan go, Alejandro?" He asked, his eye's meeting Alejandro's, no emotion being clear from his gaze. Behind him, he knew the other members of the Espada stood watching, along with an unranked nobody who seemed to believe he had a place in this meeting. Perhaps he was stronger than he was letting on? Who knew. All that mattered as of now was how the events of the day had gone for Alejandro and Shishigami Jubei, an answer he was sure to find out shortly.

OOC:(Just a note, Shishi is currently not released, but in his sealed state. I apologize for, perhaps, not being clear in my post. What was meant in my post is that, once he had released, it destroyed the upper part of his clothing, not that he was still released. Thus, the missing upper half.)

(OCC: I was told to post...since no one else has.)

The Impaler watched as a Garganta opened and two of the Strongest Espada walked out of it and with them came tremendous spiritual pressure. To a normal Arrancar it would have been over whelming and probably cause some damage to them but Vlad had learned from years upon years of serving them how to remain stable but he didn't want them to know it so he cringed a little, just for show.

The Tercera Espada did not return and most likely was dead like the other Espada he didn't really care about it and didn't feel any remorse over his death. "One less Espada to serve..." thought The Impaler.

He watched as the Espada spoke to one another and remained silent but noticied the Decima's clothes were rather tattatered and ragged apparently from Releasing his True Form. Knowing his duty, the 87th Arrancar of the Arrancar Army bowed to the Espada and then Sonido'd away but quickly returned with the Decima's Clothes. He then awaited for the Decima to take it still bowing, although he remained a sword swing away, Vlad was prepared to Sonido away just in case.

He knew that the Decima was angry and would probably try to kill him if he got to close but it was his duty to serve them and how he hated his duty. Voivode of Wallachia, Vlad III Dracula, a man that once struck fear into the Turkish Empire at the very sound of his name was now reduced to a mere servant, a mere pawn. Although he felt this way he would never show it nor would he accept his Kismet, his Destiny.

He swallowed his Pride and said "My Lord's how may I serve you?" looking at the floor. He was prepared to be hit or attacked by any of the Espada he knew it was not formal for a Numero to speak to the Decima or the Primera and even worse he cut into a conversation that didn't envolve him and he even spoke before the other Espada, probably some major offence.

Merrow cocked his head to one side as he gazed at Xane with a curious ... still childish look. He was wondering what the reaction of the other Espada was, quite honestly. But the reaction that was from the Septima was quite unlike anything he had seen before.

"Masochist?" he wondered as he kept his somewhat adorable and innocent facade up. But it didn't take long for Merrow to realize what was probably going through the mind of the fellow Espada. Afterall, the youthful arrancar had spent quite some analyzing reiatsu, and he knew that even simple emotions were the causes of fluctuations. That knowledge and the fact that Xane seemed to have some odd stare towards both himself and Methias were enough to merit discomfort.

That very discomfort urged Merrow to 'lose face', quite literally. At such a range, it was bound to be painful. There was no way to block and no way to dodge. And Merrow had spent painstaking years to collect and record pressure records of all arrancar that lived in Las Noches, he was well aware of how much power most individuals here were capable of generating. Which made it all the more effective to generate enough destructive reiatsu to create miniature explosion, coupled with a power backhand ... straight to Xane's face.

There was a reason he was Cuarta, after all, and a direct blow would do some damage. Though, there would be no open wounds, as Merrow had taken pains as to not dish out such severe of a blow.

After that blow was struck, with less than a second occuring in the moment, Merrow had gotten off of the body of his 'comrade'. His small being had moved away from Xane, disillusioned that the Septima would be a trustworthy ally. And with that disillusionment, the facade of the innocent cherub was shattered.

A small golden aura, though not necessarily a lumincescent one, of his reiatsu encircled Merrow, whose greenish eyes glared at Xane. His mouth no longer bore the mischievous smile, but instead showed a fanged, gristly grin. Even his voice had lost all aspects of it former high pitched tone, the once melodic being a rather harsh and unpleasant one.

"Xane-kun," Merrow spat out with all apparent distaste and contempt for the Septima(and he was justified in calling the fellow Arrancar that, as he was, despite his appearance, nearly 7 times older), "I ought to warn you. I've dealt with many a traitor in the past. Either those who openly defy, or those who devise clever schemes and await the demise of the fellow arrancar, all in the name of their own desires.

I'll let you in on a little secret. ... Roasted traitor's flesh tastes wonderful. A bit tender, yet also bitter. If you plan on betraying us at any point while I'm still alive ... I'll find you, wherever you are and dine on your carcass."

His sweet and smiling exterior was now completely lost. His eyes were aquamarine spheres emboding the madness that was his mind, a rather playful yet bloodthirsty light shone there in the place of a compassionate gaze. Even with the rather splendid golden reiatsu that clouded him, his face was still darkened, giving him a furrowed and infuriated expression ... as the orbs glared right at the one he deemed a potential traitors. There was nothing more in this world that Merrow despised more than traitors, they deserved death, like enemies, but one of such an excruciating degree of pain.

His satanic glare and demeanor suddenly changed, upon the entrance of both Alejandro and Shishigami. He brightened up immensely at the sight of the Primera and the Decima, although he clearly restrained himself from leaping off the floor and tackling them into the next room.

"Welcome home, Alejandro-san ... Jubei-nii-san. ... ? Where's Kano-kun? ... ... ? ... ... ...? He was killed?! Tch, some leader of the Exequias he turned out to be, killed upon first call to battle." he welcomed the Leader and the Strongest/Weakest Espada(respectively), but then stopped short as the missing of the Novena. His voice also dropped to a low mutter at the realization that the Novena, and Exequias Commander had fallen. . . . Quite honestly, he didn't really like Rykira that much, so his loss wasn't as big as a deal.

The Cuarta calmly walked off to the side, just to be a non-particapant in the disucussion between Methias and Alejandro. Really, he just didn't want to be in the way of them both, as apparently they had quite an important matter to discuss.

(( Short I know, but I'm running on two hours of horrid sleep ))

Xane just laughed at the "child" as he was hit. In his mind he saw a much more brutal beating but he laughed all the same. That same laugher came back after it had died to allow the other to speak. He saw the flare and he didn't mind. He put up with it, and just smiled darkly. "Oh really now? That's good to know, maybe I shall find a traitor and feast on their flesh!" Even as he spoke images of death and destruction flashed across his mind. He imagined traitors to their countries being killed and their flesh eaten. "Hmm...yes. I shall let you in on a secret too. I do enjoy the taste of the soft muscles of my fallen enemies. Yes. Muscle tastes quite delicious, especially with salt and a their roasted bones. It's fantastic! I love it!" It's no wonder most called him mad and why he often did not speak. In all honesty , Xane was not a traitor in the least bit. Death was something he bathed in though so most whom he laid eyes upon he visioned dying.

As Alejandro and Shishi entered he quieted. It was not because they were here, but because his mind was envisioning their deaths in this place as well. Merrow and Methias had already had their deaths, it was these two next in line. A smile curled up on his lips as he pictured it. Oh how wonderful it was to him. The smell of burning flesh touched his nose though there was none there. His mind made this vision real. The sounds of their screams filled the air. Oh how he relished in such death. He then realized he didn't greet them, but for fear of letting out a laugh he just bowed his head to each of them.

The Sexta silently spectated as the events unfolded, slowly unraveling to a deafening pitch of boredom. There was the Sadomasochistic tiff between the midget and the Septima instigated, apparently, by the latter's psychotic meandering mind. A soundless sigh escaped Skaeith's lips as he slipped and steeped himself deeper into the shadows of the room.

He diverted his eyes to the newest arrival in the room, one bearing of no notable title or Rank. A peon, more or less. So far this lowly grunt was the only non-Espada who deigned to dare attend this little gathering. He was either arrogant, brave, stupid, excessively loyal, or ambitious. A combination didn't seem out of the realm of possibility, either. Skaeith didn't mind the Numeros. He wasn't giving off intense vibes of insanity or madness, which landed him somewhere around tolerable in Skaeith's book.

The others in the room, however, were of the contrary, and the aforementioned vibes were growing to fever pitch. This caused the Sexta to raise his hand to his face, seeking relief from the stupidity in the soft palm pressed to his forehead. All he saw was black now, and he relished the sight. If there was one thing Skaeith truly loathed, it was insanity in all it's forms.

Insanity strongly suggested a frailty of the mind.

With his back pressing further and further into the wall he was ever so tempted to meld into it, vanish into the shadows with which he mingled and leave these mindsores behind in pursuit of... Anything less irritating. Perhaps a nap. Sadly, just before he was set to act upon his wondrous plan, the Primera and Decima stepped out from a Garganta.

Alejandro had proven to not be completely batshit crazy as of yet, and the Decima had done the same. Out of a mild respect for such remarkable accomplishments he remained. He had nothing to say so he spared no words, but he stayed.

"Ahem"

Alejandro tried to clear his throat before speaking. It seemed like he assembled a bunch of arrancar that weren't exactly sane in terms of mentality, but it was those types of traits that made the current generation of Espada seem to have the potential to be a ruling force over all one day. He went on to go over the situation that occured in Karakura Town.

"Well...three fourths of Karakura Town are already hollowfied. Unfortunately, he had a single casualty..Rykira had died by the hands of some rotton, pathetic filth. Some quincy tried to stop me and Shishi Jubei..but they died in one fell swoop. The Quincy, as you know it, no longer exist. They should've focused on reproducing and regrouping instead of trying to use their LAST TWO QUINCY IN A RETARDED ATTEMPT TO STOP US!"

His reiatsu flared for a moment's notice. Alejandro couldn't understand idiocy, such as what the quincy displayed. He calmed down, taking a nice breather as he ended this with a soft sigh.

"Anyway..I've opened up a garganta to the forest of menos that's connected to Karakura town. It's being flooded with hollows as we speak."

He cuts off his train of thought, looking at the arrancar..who wasn't an Espada. He gave a half grin towards him.

"So kid, what is that you want here? You wanna play with the big boys, perhaps? Tell you what.."

He crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

"I want you to battle Methias. Depending on how you do, I MIGHT let you be one of us. If you don't satisfy me, I'm going to let you be my fraccion. I'm in a good mood since everything went according to plan..this isn't a negotiation either, so you two may begin whenever."

*Methias and Dracula may begin fighting. Posting order doesn't matter if you're not Methias or Dracula, but not double posting for anyone.*

Bowing his head toward the Primera, he listened carefully to every word escaping his superiors lips. Success, such a sweet word, the beginning of the inevitable goal becoming visible even from this far away. Today was potentially the beginning of a whole new era. Quincies defeated and killed in battle, something that left a lingering taste of victory in the air. The taste was sweet. The loss of an ally was nothing on what was gained this night, and as such, the presence lost was almost unnoticable.

The Hollowfication of Karakura Town was truly a marvelous plan, spanning over several years, or atleast Methias presumed. Going so well, it could only be said that Alejandro had planned every small detail, and every possible outcome in order to achieve this goal. A true genius, one could say. A smirk growing on the lips of the Segunda Espada, he began to run a finger across his forehead, touching against his Halo-like mask fragment before moving his hair to one side, firey red eye's being revealed to the outside world. Around the rim of his eyelids, it looked as if he was wearing eyeliner, a black circle appearing around them, almost making his eye's look bigger than they actually were, and somewhat more frightening to look at.

As Alejandro flared his Reiatsu, Methias simply nodded, not being affected as a lower ranked being would have done. Methias shared a rarity that only but a few Arrancar shared, each and every one of these rarity's being in the Espada. The power of the Vasto Lorde ran through his veins, through his mask, and through his Zanpaktou. A power so dark and twisted that many a Hollow only dreamed of its remarkable power. Not even a handful would ever achieve such a status.

As he heard the name "Kid" echoing through the room, Methias' stern face grew somewhat sinister, a manic smirk fixated on his lips. Grasping hold of the Zanpaktou strapped to his back, Methias released it from its "Chains", the blade resting loosely in his hand. Swinging it once at the air, he didn't seem to be paying any attention to anything other than how the blade felt in his hand.

"This is going to be fun..."

Turning to face his newest adversary, he pushed his hand outwards, as if to tell everyone in the room to step back. Not long had passed before an incredible burst of Reiatsu flowed from Methias, the pressure being more than enough to put most warriors on their knee's in mere seconds. As the Reiatsu burst from his body, a huge white "Aura" spread from his body, somewhat attached to him. This light was truly an impressive piece of art, capable of draining the power from anyone who stood where it shined, and it shined brightly. It covered an area atleast of twenty meters around him. A pity for those who stood in his way.

And then the light dissapeared, if only for a second, the noise of static breaking through the silence that lingered in the air. Less than a second could have passed before the light was directly behind his adversary, Methias swinging his blade towards Vlad's back in an attempt to test his reflexes. While the Sonido was of incredible speed, the swing was clearly held back, if only momentarily to allow for Vlad do dodge, and to see what counter attack he could possibly come up with.

Vlad III Dracula remained kneeling as the Primera spoke, he listened intently to the plan that was set in motion. The Hollowfication of Karakura Town. The Defeat of the Quincy. The Menos Invasion of Karakura. It all seemed to be going according to plan but the problem was that the Shinigami have not yet interfered with the plan, Vlad found that rather strange but he didn't let his face reveal it or any part of his body for that matter. He remained still awaiting orders.

When the Primera's Reaitsu flared and he then addresed Vlad, he listened and responded by rising and looking side ways at Methias, the "Hollow Angel". He turned back to the Primera and said "I will try to entertain you." discarding his cloak and revealing the fragment of his Hollow Mask, a small horned skull with a blood red diamond on the scalpe and other jewel like fragments along his neck in the form of a large necklace.

The red scalera of his eyes got deeper and his cold greyish-purple iris' became more menacing. The blue vain like markings on his ghostishly pale face became more visible. He then looked at Methias as he told people to stand back and released a large flare of his angelic white Reaitsu to try to intimidate the "Devil's Son" and keep him busy.

"I will try to keep you entertained... so I guess there is no longer a need to keep my true power hidden..."

He looked down and then quickly looked up at his opponent and flared his own devilishly dark purple Reaitsu that seemed to form a cloak around him. But while this was happening Dracula listened to his opponents heartbeat. Thump. Thump. Thump. it went and then he was gone.

At that moment Vlad knew what was happening and using a quick Sonido moved to the opposite direction of his opponents arm so he could not slash or impale Vlad. The movement was slower then expected and the move its self was predictable.

"Please so use your full strength or I could not show the rest of the Espada my true powers."

Vlad the Impaler said while he gripped his Rapier and rotated the opposite direction of Methias trying to hit him in the back of the head with the blunt of the sheathe while unsheathing the long magnificent rapier in the process and in the opposite direction to prepare for a counter attack from the Segunda.

The Imapler Prince's fighting style had changed and adopted new style over the years but his still was adopted rather recently, only some 15 years ago, the style was similar to the Itaito Style from Japan that used both the sword and sheathe as a defensive and offensive tool but it was slightly altered to include Impaling Techniques.

The initial attack of Methias' was indeed incredibly obvious, it was meant to be. The avoidance of such a move only suggested that this Arrancar had some decent reaction time, and was indeed not a complete idiot. However, another move seemed to go against this, he hadn't yet used his resurreccion. It would take a true idiot to underestimate Methias, and this Arrancar seemed to be doing just that. Foolish, one might say, but alas, Methias didn't quite know what capabilities this being had in store. This battle was sure to get more interesting by the second.

As the attack was countered by his adversary, a chaotic smirk appeared on his lips. It appeared Methias' initial prediction of this Arrancar not being a complete fool were indeed correct, although only time would tell if he was truly ready to become a member of the Ten Blades. The Gods of Arrancar. The Espada. Strangely enough, however, the second his attack was about to be countered, Methias' blade stopped in its place, almost as if he expecting this move. He truly was the sort of person to read three steps ahead in every battle.

Just before the shief moved towards Methias' head, another static noise could be heard in the room, as he appeared a few meters backwards, out of range of the incoming counter. A bloodlust then flew over Methias, the white aura not disappearing as one would expect it to. Using Sonido once more, he sped towards the face of his opponent, aiming a rising slash at his chest region. His speed this time was at it's fullest, almost unmatched amongst the Espada, although the size of his weapon would indicate that it wasn't quite the fastest.

Methias knew full too well that if the attack hit, it would likely slice the Arrancar in two, causing him to become nothing more than hollow food. The most likely thing for his opponent to do would be to parry or dodge the attack, maybe even try to block it with the Scabbard. However, any of these outcomes would cause no end to Methias' current onslaught. If he was blocked, he would do the same once more, his speed being more than enough to dodge and attack consistantly. If he parried or dodged, Methias would simply swing his leg in an attempt to trip his opponent, which if successful would end with Methias attempting to Impale them into the ground. These attacks would be easy enough to dodge, or manipulate in some way, but that didn't matter. This was just getting interesting.

The white Aura, however, would be sure not to allow this battle to go on forever. Every moment, it thrived off of the Reiatsu of all those who stood in it, the draining slowly reducing their fighting prowess to little more than nothing. Due to this, Vlad would have had to make an impression quickly or risk losing his life for good. And in order to make an impression, Methias would have to force him to use his Resurreccion.

Vlad the Impaler Prince was not surprised by how his adversary had managed to dodge his attack. It was expected. "Good." thought the Former Voiviode of Wallachia as he continued to spin sheathing his Rapier, he moved his hand down slighty so he would grip the middle of the scabbard instead the hilt of the sword, just then the static sound came again. "Sonido..." whispered Vlad.

It seemed that that very sound was the trademark of his opponent and also his tell. Now Vlad Tepes acted as quickly as he possibly could, jumping back and raising the sheathe of the sword to block the incoming sword. "Damn..." thought Vlad as his blade went flying out of his hands, landing a great distance away from him. Now he was weaponless but he wasn't defeated for the moment Vlad felt his sword leave him, he used Sonido to move to the left of his opponent, opposite of where his sword was.

Then Vlad fired a Bala at the Segunda aimed at his chest. This was not ment to hurt him or even stun him but to draw his attention away for a single moment so Vlad could prepare for his next attack. He then made a faint clicking sound with his teeth for most it was hardly noticable but for the creatures that it would summon, it was clear.

The Impaler then dashed for his sword using Sonido. Now the real fight would commence.

Somewhere below Las Noches

The Vampire Bats of Vlad the Impaler awoke from their long slumber with the echoing sound of their master and creator. Their blood red eyes sprung to life, it was time to respond to there masters will. Screeching of hundreds of black hollow bats could be heard faintly even with in the Espada War room.

(OCC: I wrote this at school so I was rushed sorry!)

A smirk grew on Methias' face as his opponents weapon flew from their hand, landing several yards away. Foolish, the art of using ones weapon was useless without the ability to hold onto a weapon for more than a few seconds. However, with the brute strength of the Segunda at an opponent, it was indeed a rarity if they could hold on for too long. Without his weapon, Vlad would surely perish quickly, and as such, Methias stopped his attacks, seeing the smallest, yet fastest of the Arrancar projectile's heading his way.

Seemingly floating in the air, Methias lowered his weapon slightly, his left hand backhanding the Bala with a huge force, his Hierro deflecting the Bala to the ground. He simply stood and watched as his adversary moved to his blade, a manic laughter escaping his lips as the man gained hold of his weapon once more. As he charged towards him, Methias' eye's were more than trained enough to dodge to one side, however, no sign of a counter attack was imminent, only more laughter.

"Surely you know this is worthless. Release. Use your true power against me. Without it I will kill you with my next attack... The Aura around me, it's making you weaker, and you'll surely be feeling it by now, even if you don't quite realize it yet. Nothing you do will change this. Use. It!" Methias' voice escaped from his lips, a truly sinister smirk growing on them.

And with another burst of laughter, his left hand arose, a red aura glowing around it. Cero, the Arrancar equivilent to Kido. This was nothing to joke about, Methias' being more than strong enough to deal a high amount of damage to nearly anything. Along with his "Aura", a weakened opponent would surely die if they came up against this blast. However, even Methias was unsure at how much weaker Vlad was, and his previous statement was simply a bluff. He was testing him, and he knew that this match would be over soon if there was no release.

"Cero." Methias said calmly, whether or not Vlad was ready. After the earlier dodge, Vlad couldn't of been more than twenty yards away, the speed and radius of this Cero making the blast incredibly hard to dodge, and close enough to make the opponent take the full blunt of the blast if it hit. Not being one to stare at the eye of the tiger, Methias instantly Sonido'd away as it was fired, being sure to land far enough away as for the blast to not collide with himself.

Vlad Tepes began to laugh slighty starting with a low chuckle become a full out laugh that echoed "I have known it for quite a while...I have been analyzing you since the begining of our little fight you see that's what I do...analyze and break down. 'A person who knows the enemy and understands their ways has a better chance at defeating them then those who do not.' " Vlad smilied showing of his vampiric teeth "Now I will release but you will never see it coming..."

Screeching and flapping of hundreds of wings could be heard as hundreds of black Hollow Vampire bats flooded the room, circling it but remaing near there creator and master : Vlad the Impaler. The Draculesti now had his sword in hand as the Espada charged his Cero and aimed at Vlad, his opponent was close and Vlad seemed to be in a weakened state from the effects of his enemies Ability. Although his Reiatsu cloak was still up it was begining to weaken, Vlad had been using it as a way to measure how much energy his enemies ability could take. Not exactly for this battle but one never knows when a Ally can become an Enemy.

The Creatures came to their masters aid as the Cero was fired at Vlad...sacrificing them selves and protecting Vlad from the full power of the Cero but as expected it still reached the Devil's Son but not enough to cause any serious injury but enough to send the Impaler Prince flying and slamming against the ground with a Thud.

As Vlad got up he could smell the remains of his Children as they died silently. Vlad then said something in Osmalian that probably sounded like jibberish to his enemy, in fact Vlad was saluting the creatures. Vlad then looked at Methias who had used Sonido to escape the power of his own attack. The remaing black bats surronded Vlad now only about 150-200 bats from the several hundred that perished.

"You will pay for that with the blood that I spill..." said Vlad as he removed his sword from its scabbard and cut his finger on the tip of the blade and running the blood on the flat of the rapier. "Morder," said Vlad licking his own blood "VAMPIRO!". Dark Purple Reaitsu then swallowed Vlad and shot up ward like a erupting Volcano, his remaining bats circled around the eruption and release of power concealing the person with in.

Vlad began the metamorphase, escaping his Humanoid shell and into the form of his absolute power. His pale skin turned black as night, the shape of his skeleton changed with it. He sprouted apendages from his wrists, razor sharp claws, 3 sets of eyes, large sharp demonic teeth, and he gained three charp dagger edged tails. But just as the transformation was finishing Vlad released his first true attack.

"Aguacero" said Vlad releasing a large thick dark cloud around him and toward his enemy, if Methias got trapped with in the smoke it would be difficult to escape but not just because it was ahrd to see but because anything caught with in the smoke would be electricuted with powerful burst of lightning just like those with in side a thunder cloud, Vlad was unharmed because of his bats who were using the electrical energy to become charged for the next attack.

And so it had finally begun. The so-called Son of Satan's resurreccion had finally been released, and now Methias himself may have to actually try. Sighing lightly, he let out yet another manical laughter, the air in the room almost exploding with a soundwave. Such power from just a laugh, his potent Reiatsu and strength quickly becoming apparent to all who gazed upon his angelic figure. The Sealed Angel of Light against the Son of Satan's release. The battle was surely going to get interesting from this point forwards.

A smile grew on Methias' face, strange smoke englufing him in a matter of seconds. Apparently, this was the first real ability that Vlad had in his arsenal. Vision became clouded, however, Methias' Reiatsu sense still allowed him to feel where everyone around him was. Alas, losing a single sense wouldn't be too harmful to the Segunda's fighting capability. However, just as he was getting use to the lack of vision, bursts of Lightning surged towards his body. While to most it could potentially kill them, Methias was skillful enough with his blade to slice through most projectiles, and lightning was no different to a blast of Reiatsu in his book. A truly devastating attack became nothing more than an annoyance as he swung his blade into the thunder, slicing it in half like a knife into cake. The thunder then conducted into the blade of the sword, but it didn't get through the hilt that Methias held, the material not being conductive, with the added protection of a thick cloth. The blade then vibrated in his hand wildly as the thunder disburst into nothingness.

Clenching his blade tightly in his hand, he simply waited for the inevitable attack. His task was to test this release, and end the battle when the time came. That time was not yet, but depending on how strong this being was, it may well be soon. He assumed from the cloud that Vlad used the Lightning element to attack with, which he was sure wasn't too far from the truth. The bats aswell, they had to be used for something. From his judgement, he would have thought that the bats were of the vamparic veriety, and used blood to attack with, or to gain strength. Another theory was electrically charged bats, although that seemed a little less likely.

His aura was still a huge factor in this battle, however. Even after Vlad's release, the effects would surely wear on, and his attacks would also become proportionally weaker as the fight continued. The best chance for Vlad to prove himself would be early, but was he too far gone to be of any use? Only time could tell in the long run. However, the potency of his lightning during this stage was indeed impressive. It would only lose strength, a note that bought a smile about the face of Methias. Only time would tell how this battle would end.

Vlad remained still like a statue watching (using his Bat's Sonar) his opponent. Biding his time and noting difference in his opponent's power levels. He could attack directly and probably end the battle, in this form he was much faster and if he used his ability he could probably kill him before his enemy even noticed but where is the fun in that? And this was indeed a mock battle, what purpose would it serve to dispose of a powerful asset of war? A useful ally in the future? Sure he would assure him self as an Espada but at what cost?

Vlad rapidly played scenario's in his head and came up with the best solution to his problem. Now it was indeed time to finish this battle, even if he him self was enjoying it! He knew he could beat his opponent in this form but what if he released? What if Tepes was playing into a trap? All he knew was that he had to attack because he could not outlast him. Atleast not with the ability he had, Which was similar but yet very different.

The Devil's Son locked onto his opponent using his bats. He then shot forward through the dark Cloud but remained a foot off the ground ,hovering, trying to remain silent and keep his position hidden. He even left his bats behind but they would soon spring into action once he gave the signal.

"Its time..." whispered Vlad so quietly so not to alert the Segunda.

Using his speed Vlad shot forward one hand grabbing the sword while teh other was aimed at grabbing his opponents face. If he succecced he would then slam his opponent into the ground and wipe the sword away. Then he would put his knee in his opponents stomach pinning him to the ground and with hiw newly free hand would fire a attack, powerful enough to turn his enemy's brain tissue to mush.

As he charged for the attack with his free hand, he would use two of his three sharp draconic dagger tails to imaple his opponents legs (thighs) and bind him to the ground, then he would use his other tail to impale his enemy through his lower abdomen, all in the effort to immobilize him. Vlad would then opened his mouth showing multiple sets of teeth. He then echoed one word.

"Correinte.."

He would then press his free hand against his opponents left side of his head and release a surrent powerful enough to turn his brain to jelly. Vlad had made his decision and he said to himself slowly.

"Good-bye, Segunda...It was a pleasure...fightning you...."

Looking to his side in almost a mocking fashion, he realized that he would have to fight with everything he had in his sealed state in order to have this fight not end in a pathetic fashion. Closing his eye's, he let his ears do all the work, not a single peep from his opponent being heard, atleast not for a while. This release thus far was indeed impressive, but it was nothing that Methias couldn't deal with. Underestimating him would indeed prove to be the end of the fight. His intellect was one of a kind, and his brutish nature meant that he could withstand more pain than most believed possible.

His eye's then burst open, staring down the man speeding towards him. He was incredibly close, the smoke around him made sure of that. Vision was of course distorted, as to hide him, but every cloud has a point that you can see around. A hand held out towards Methias' face, he moved his head towards Vlads chest, grabbing hold of the wrist he had intended to grab his head with. Dropping his Zanpaktou, he impaled his other hand into Vlads weapon, all the way down to the tip of the blade. Blood gushed from the open wound, but it was a worthy trade. Any further attack was halted as Methias had effectively grasped hold of Vlad in his own grip.

Smirking, Methias looked towards his impaled hand, a dull grey glow forming around the finger aimed towards Vlads chest. Blood mixing with cero, a forbidden skill for the espada to use beneath the dome charging in his hand. The formiddable 'Gran Ray Cero'. Firing this here would likely wipe out the whole of Las Noches if it was fired, and it was now aimed at Vlad. Due to the range, if he didn't escape soon, he would surely die. If he did, the cero could still be fired towards him. A cackling laughter escaped from Methias' lips. He didn't care what happened, he was going to win this brawl.

((OOC: Sorry it's short and for the long wait, been busy + block >.<))